ROCKFORD - Rock Valley College President Jack Becherer announced Tuesday that he will resign Jan. 10 - six months before his contract is scheduled to expire.

Mike Mastroianni, vice president of career and technical education, will serve as the college's interim leader. Becherer did not give a reason for his early departure and was not immediately available for comment.

"I think more than anything he feels the leadership of the college is in the right place," said Nancy Chamberlain, the college's director of public relations.

Becherer has raised RVC's profile in the community since joining the college in 2004. Academic partnerships with area high schools are growing, allowing students to simultaneously earn a high school diploma while completing an associate degree or vocational certification at the community college.

Building expansions and renovations during Becherer's tenure have significantly enhanced the North Mulford Road campus, and upward of $60 million in campus improvements are planned for the next few years. Rock Valley is still seeking applicants as part of a nationwide presidential search the college launched this fall.

Becherer restructured the roles of several administrators in his leadership team last year to ensure the college would function well after his departure, Mastroianni said.

"I worked with him for almost nine years and Jack has done a great job," Mastroianni said. "He was the right president at the right time for the college and we have a great leadership team in place."

Mastroianni, a lifelong Rockford resident, has been with Rock Valley since 1998, serving in the roles of director, dean, and most recently as vice president of career and technical education. His recent responsibilities have also included expansion of manufacturing and career training partnerships with Woodward, Chrysler and other businesses in the region.

"It's really important at this time that the community understands we have two excellent sides to Rock Valley College," Mastroianni said. "We're preparing students to succeed in a four-year institution and we're also preparing people to obtain the skills they need for jobs in the community."

It's the latter role that Rockford Toolcraft President Tom Busse sees as vital to the regional economy. Six of the company's 350 employees are enrolled in an apprenticeship program through Rock Valley, where they take night and weekend classes while learning tool-and-die, gear-cutting and precision-machining skills on the job. There are 80 such apprentices currently working on the shop floors of 27 companies in the region, said Busse.

"The college under Mr. Becherer has certainly been a friend to manufacturing," Busse said. "This isn't glamorous. They aren't making TV shows about tool-and-die makers. But making things is so important to our economy. It's the backbone of this country."

RVC Board Chairman Michael Dunn Jr. credits Becherer with elevating Rock Valley's academic reputation and positioning the college for the future. To that end, one of the college's strategies is to expand its aviation maintenance program at the Chicago Rockford International Airport to provide skilled workers for the region. Becherer's decision to resign "has nothing to do" with recent and, at times, difficult talks with airport officials, Dunn said.

Page 2 of 2 - "This has to do with the transition from one president to the next," Dunn said.

"We have a top-notch program for students who want to attend a four-year college or university and that's to Dr. Becherer's credit," Dunn said. "Moving forward, our top priorities as a college and as a board are to maintain that standard, continue the push to grow enrollment and modernize and grow our certificate and manufacturing programs to help our high school partners and train more skilled workers for the community.